As you start revitalizing your red brick home’s landscape, the mulch color you choose must complement the exterior of your home as well as highlight the existing plants. Some people think it’s easy to pick a mulch color, but they’re not aware that the color needs to have a long-lasting effect on the curb appeal of their red brick home.
So what color mulch goes with a red brick house? The most complementing and long-lasting colors that work with red brick include black, dark brown, and golden yellow mulch. Furthermore, red mulch derived from natural bark and wood chips can also be a good match with a red brick house.
Some homeowners may not be familiar with mulch, let alone which colors to choose from. Mulch is typically any compost material laid on top of the soil in flower beds. This material helps prevent the growth of weeds. Whether you use organic or synthetic mulch, it is important to think about the texture as well as the color carefully.
Organic mulch contains a wide variety of wood fibers or bark, which are sprayed with a liquid dye. Synthetic mulch, on the other hand, can be made from plastic, rubber, or rock. Again, a liquid pigment is sprayed on the mulch to protect its surface and make it look more attractive.
Now that you’ve learned the basics about mulch, let’s get to know more about which colors work best with a red brick house as well as the benefits of mulch for your landscape.
Best Mulch Colors for Red Brick Homes
Black Mulch
As a stylish color, black mulch can make a big statement next to a red brick exterior. This dark and striking color is ideal for green front gardens, and since it’s the darkest mulch color, you can expect it to last an entire season without the need to replace it. Black mulch provides a strong contrast against a red brick house, but there are also many benefits to using this color.
Black mulch keeps the garden soil cool, thus making it ideal for high rainfall areas. However, this bold mulch color tends to attract heat and lose its natural appearance after a year of being exposed to direct sunlight.
Therefore, we recommend black mulch near the trees and walkways instead of the driveway as aesthetically it will look best when combined with other natural and synthetic elements.
Golden Yellow Mulch
Golden yellow mulch is another attractive option for a red brick house. This color is ideal for those who prefer a warmer tone than stark black.
However, it must be noted that golden yellow doesn’t retain its color as much as black mulch so expect it to fade after just one season. What’s more, golden yellow is more expensive than black mulch as it’s aesthetically more pleasing.
Dark Brown Mulch
The landscape of your red brick house very much depends on the colors you use for the front garden. Mulch is easily seen from your home’s front door to the sidewalk so it needs to stand out. Dark brown is a mulch color that’s not as overwhelming as golden yellow or black.
This softer, earthy mulch color creates a natural flow to your red brick home’s front lawn while maintaining a color coordinated backdrop for the flowers and other landscape features. By using dark brown mulch, you can accentuate your front entrance while combining colorful plants or flowers to this blend. Dark brown mulch also visually separates the red brick exterior from the front lawn.
Another benefit to applying dark brown mulch around your red brick house is that brown doesn’t fade over time. In fact, brown mulch requires minimal maintenance and goes with most other exterior colors. Perhaps the only downside to brown mulch is that most of your neighbors may also be using this color for their front lawn.
Red Mulch
A red brick home can still maintain its curb appeal with red mulch, but as long as you use a lighter or darker shade than your red brick tone for better contrast.
Red mulch is perfect for rock gardens and can be an excellent choice for showing off flowering hedges or exotic plants. The only downside to red mulch is that it creates a lot of heat around the home by absorbing the sunlight rather than reflecting it back. That said, some people may regard this as a plus because it prevents your home from absorbing moisture.
If your red brick exterior has gold, terracotta or other warm undertones, red mulch will make the perfect color pairing for your outdoor space.
Why Add Mulch to Your Red Brick Home?
Not only colored mulch provides a visually pleasing backdrop for a red brick house, but it also accentuates the front garden without overwhelming the outdoor space.
In addition, colored mulch makes your flowers and plants stand out. The natural, soft appearance of mulch is an ideal way to create a beautiful background for your plants and shrubs. Since most mulch colors don’t fade out over time, they give your red brick home its own unique character.
When used correctly, mulching keeps the moisture within the soil by repelling heat, whilst increasing the nutrients in the soil. But this is only applicable if you use organic, natural mulch instead of the synthetic or plastic varieties.
A good quality, organic rotten mulch can prevent frost damage on your plants as well as increase drainage in your vegetable patches and flower beds.
As well as the already mentioned benefits of mulching, we’ve come up with some more reasons why you should add mulch to your red brick home’s landscape. These include:
- Creates visual appeal for your red brick home’s exterior appearance
- Improves soil quality
- Protects your plants and flowers from weather damage
- Reduces weed growth
- Retains moisture in the garden soil
Any Drawbacks to Mulch?
While there are many benefits to mulching, for inexperienced gardeners, it can be more harmful than advantageous. Here are some drawbacks to mulching:
Excessive mulching
Applying too much mulch on your flower beds can end up suffocating the shrubs. It is best to stick to a maximum of two inches.
Attracts pests
Snails can be destructive around plants as they eat the leaves and buds. Organic mulch attracts such pests to the soil and pretty soon, you have a vegetable patch or flower bed full of slugs or snails. To avoid this problem, add pellets to the mulch bark in order to repel the destructive bugs.
Dries out the soil
When you apply organic mulch too thickly to your soil, it can totally dry out the underlying part of the soil. While this is great for preventing weed growth, it is not so ideal for promoting water flow to the plant or tree’s roots.
In fact, your plants can end up with yellowing leaves and dry roots because of the poor moisture level in the soil. To avoid this problem, again make sure you don’t apply too much mulch around the plants.
Overheats the soil
Natural, organic mulch retains the heat within the soil, thus causing an overheat. Just like previously mentioned, this issue can also be avoided if you don’t overpile the mulch on the flower bed.
Best Way to Apply Mulch
For optimal effectiveness, we recommend applying one or two inches of colored mulch to your front garden soil. Ensure you buy enough mulch to cover the entire area as you’ll need to add to the heap throughout the season.
Once you’ve laid enough mulch, distribute it evenly and water generously in order to add weight to the mulch and prevent it from blowing away. Watering also helps retain moisture within the garden soil.
What is the Least Fading Mulch Color?
Dyed mulch normally fades within one or two seasons. Black and brown mulches, however, tend to last longer. These striking colors can in fact last as long as one year. Generally, mulches that are made of natural materials like pine and cedar bark won’t lose their natural color.
What Flower Colors Look Best with a Red Brick Home?
Certain flower colors are just as important as mulch colors for a red brick house. When you’re thinking of the best foliage colors to accentuate your home’s sidewalk or driveway, opt for dark green as this suits the red brick best. Brightly colored flowers that border a pathway draw the eye to the red brick home’s entry.
To create visual interest throughout the year, make sure you plant a well-balanced collection of bulbs, evergreens, perennial and annual flowering plants. Go for light red or soft pink flowers to pair with your red brick house. Muted yellows and creamy white foliage also work well. There are also blue and purple flowers that complement red brick.
Overall, most dark and bright flower colors will increase the curb appeal of your red brick exterior.
